Would you buy a stubborn feeder?

[ShutUpAndSmile]

So I'm searching fauna for a female Cinny that I can buy locally. I found one but the problem is she's stubborn.
Here is the e-mail...
"This girl is the most puzzling snake I've had to date as far as her feeding habits go. First off, she's a 2009 and only 625ish grams. I've had her for about a year, and she didn't eat at all for 6 of those months. She didn't eat for the first 4+ months I've had her, then she started, but just on mice, then I had her on rats throughout most of the summer, and she went back to mice at some point in September/October. She's been off again for the past 5-6 weeks. I have her feeding records since September...everything prior got damaged in flooding from bad storms. I would assume she's in for a long stretch of being off feed for a considerable period. And she is a live feeder only to my knowledge...I've actually never tried f/t on her, so I wouldn't know. "

Now I have kenyan sand boa that hasn't eaten on his own in a few months and thats really stressful for me due to his weight and such. I'm probably going to have to get him force fed in the next few days. I just don't want this to come to what I'm going through with my sand boa.
Plus the fact that she wouldn't be just a pet but a future breeder.

[snakesonaplane]

If it's something you want badly enough, I'd say go for it. Since the owner never tried f/t, you might be able to switch her and have her stay there comfortably. You could always look around more, but from what I've seen on here and other places online, all adult pythons are picky eaters until they're comfortable in their environment. Maybe her husbandry isn't right or there's a lot of noise in the snake's environment. A stressed snake is always on strike, it seems. If you provide her with a better home, she might eat for you without a problem.

All up to you, though.

[VEXER19]

I would without a doubt. What one person calls a bad feeder may not be a bad feeder at all. I'm sure husbandry and taking the time to find your bps feeding interests is all that it takes to change this supposive issue. I just don't think you can call a bp a bad feeder until you have witnessed it yourself. After all a snakes primary instinct is to feed. So if you take the time to figure its preference then you shouldn't have a problem.

[ShutUpAndSmile]

Mkay.
Like I said my boa is having some problems feeding and I guess I just wanted a second opinion.
Thanks ^-^

[WingedWolfPsion]

I personally wouldn't. If she's intended to be a breeder, it wouldn't be the best choice. Her weight is extremely low. She'll never make 1500 grams by age 3, and possibly not even by age 4, at that rate.
If the deal was 'too good to pass up', I might put her into quarantine, and have an immediate checkup done for parasites. Irregular appetite can often be due to parasite infection, and with a live-only eater, the risk is even higher.

[Evenstar]

I wouldn't either. My BP, Ella, sometimes goes on strike and it drives me nuts. It's very stressful for me to have her not eat for a month or more at a time. You mentioned you felt stressed when your sand boa won't eat. Do you really want another one to stress over?

Cinnys are not that hard to find. I know you want to find one locally, but if you're patient, you should be able to find another one. If this is going to be a future breeder, you do not want to sacrifice quality - and that includes feed responses imo...

These are just my thoughts. I know some people wouldn't think twice about taking the chance, and they are right that a problem feeder for one person may not be for someone else, but my honest opinion is that there are plenty of other nice cinnys out there who'll be solid feeders for you and therefore be a better choice for a breeding program.

[ShutUpAndSmile]

Yeah, I'm probably not going to get her. I have to sell my other female first anyway.
I shall wait. :3